Disclaimer: Tolkien owns LOTR and all things Middle Earth, blah blah blah.
A/N: This chapter has been edited and added to because of the most excellent comments and critiques I received after posting it the first time. I hope the changes satisfy y'all. Special thanks to KT for the double post. YOU ROCK!! =)
Chapter 31 - The Big Battle
As the sun slowly sank in the sky, a shadow grew on the horizon. Looking up at the sky, a black inkiness concealed the stars and soon the only lights visible were the ones made by torches. The dread was so thick one could feel it in the air around one's body. So silent and foreboding was the mood, even the wind itself feared to move.
Some distance away from the keep, there was a visible parting, like a wave, in the mass of orcs and goblins. As a path was made, a tall cloaked figure strode at its leisure towards the fields before the keep.
Alania was mesmerized by the pure magnetism and confidence the cloaked figure possessed. Clearly it was Malficent and she was unable to remove her gaze from him. As he came closer, she noted his stature and the way he carried himself. Imposing was the first word that came to her mind, followed quickly by alluring, and then terrifying. Now she understood what people meant when they spoke of how appealing and attractive evil could be. You could taste the power he exuded.
Trying to remain aloof, Alania's mind turned to the final council they had this morning, which included Teleris. With all of them somewhat rested, they had been much more open to listening to new thoughts and when she finished speaking they lapsed into a lengthy silence. In truth, not one of them could find fault with her machinations, though it required one person to volunteer for a task incredibly dangerous. This brave soul would most likely bare the brunt of Malficent's anger, but for Alania's ideas to work a messenger of sorts was essential.
Aerdin at first thought to ask his guards for a volunteer, but the thought of it did not sit well with the council. When Elladan volunteered a debate began regarding lineage and responsibilities for each person at the table, and soon Elladan, Elrohir, Legolas and Aerdin were eliminated from volunteering because of their rank. It was one thing to do battle, but this mission was too precarious for anyone who carried the responsibility for the well-being of an entire realm and its people. Georn and Gandalf were eliminated as they had other roles entirely. Roxy had been about to speak up when both Georn and Alania both said "no" at the same time vehemently. It was left to Alania and Teleris.
"He would never expect a woman." said Alania looking only at Teleris.
"No, Alania, he would not. But this is not your fight. I will go" answered Teleris.
"You could die. I would never forgive myself if you died doing something that was my idea."
Teleris smiled and said "You cannot hold yourself responsible for the outcomes of situations you did not set in motion. Sometimes the good of the many must outweigh the good of one."
"Now really do sound like Obi Wan" said Alania and returned his smile slightly. "I do not like that anyone has to do this, but if it is your choice Teleris then I will agree."
Legolas released a breath he had not known he had been holding. He had been prepared to fight every one of them and tie Alania down had they agreed to her playing messenger.
In truth, Alania was somewhat relieved herself, though she would never admit it to anyone. There was another important role that she and Roxy would fill. It was one of the reasons she had refused to allow Roxy to volunteer; she needed Roxy's aim. Now that she was no longer needed in that capacity, she could reveal the rest of her plan.
Though a magnificent argument broke out between Georn and Legolas with Alania and Roxy, the women would not budge from their position. Noting the situation, Gandalf pulled the two aside and said "Do not be so foolish as to think they cannot take care of themselves. Were you two not the ones who spoke of the bravery and ability during the assault on Alania's home? Now is not the time to suspect their capabilities, especially as you trained them yourselves. I am sure they are well aware of the risks involved as they helped all the wounded and watched as men died. If you must, then be at their sides when battle begins, but now is not the time for dissention within our own group."
This placated Legolas and Georn but a bit, and it was agreed that the women would be at their sides at the city's walls.
A short while before the sun would set, Alania locked Roxy in her rooms and did one last inventory check. They split their ammo, guns and grenades. Now both women had two firearms at their hips, their short swords at their waists, daggers hidden at their backs, one sawed-off shotgun with scope each and a pack filled with bullets and grenades.
"You know, if I didn't know any better, I'd say we looked ready for a Schwarzenegger film" said Roxy with a smile.
Alania broke out into fits of laughter. It hadn't occurred to her how ridiculous their get-up would have been at home. "Yes, well you know what the Boy Scouts say. Be Prepared" she replied with a grin. It had been a much needed light moment.
Now Alania was crouched behind a wall and watched as the source of all their problems came amidst them. Taking a shaky, steadying breath, she felt Legolas's hand give her shoulder a small squeeze as silent encouragement and comfort. When Malficent stopped in the middle of the field, Legolas removed his hand and made ready his bow.
The doors to the city opened and Teleris strode out to meet Malficent. Alania watched as Teleris made his way cautiously out. Her fear for him increased with his every step and now her eyes turned to Malficent. He cut a striking figure standing out there alone. His cloak moved as though a strong wind was blowing, even though none could be felt. Her eyes traveled from his feet up to his eyes.
She was astonished to see that he was not looking at Teleris, but at the city's walls where hundreds of men stood ready. A sinister and confident smile crept up Malficent's face as his eyes traveled from one end of the wall to the other. When his eyes passed over her area she believed he could see right to her soul and a shiver of fear traveled along her spine. Even as her fear shook her, she knew that Malficent's demise would rest in his overconfidence and belief that they would simply surrender the manuscripts to save lives.
When she was certain Malficent no longer gazed at the city walls, she raised the shotgun, adjusted the scope and sat there with Malficent in the crosshairs. She knew that Roxy was doing the very same thing at this moment. One hand keeping the rifle steady, her eyes never leaving her target, she quickly used her other hand to open her pack for availability and then brought it back to the shotgun. She would not move from this position, no matter what went on around her, until her shot was fired.
Now Teleris approached Malficent with a package. Alania began to unconsciously murmur a prayer asking for the safety of her loved ones and to keep her hands steady. She repeated the same thing over and over as a mantra. Legolas noticed and frowned in concern until he realized that it helped her concentrate. Later, he would smile at this new piece of knowledge about her, but at that moment he turned his attention back to Teleris.
Teleris kept his eyes averted from Malficent as he handed him the package he carried. When Malficent began to chuckle, Teleris seemed to shrink away from him. That sound made Alania think of psychotics after a gleeful rampage. She admired the strength of Teleris, for though he cringed he still kept his place. She wasn't sure she would have been able to refrain from running away.
As Malficent opened the cloth wrappings of the package, Teleris began to slowly inch away from him with his hand at his back ready to grab his daggers. Alania cocked the shotgun and her finger itched to pull the trigger.
For one brief instant all of Malficent was still as he realized what the package was. Even his cloak had stopped moving. His howl of outrage shook the ground. At the end of that howl the world exploded into battle.
The roar of the enemy army attacking reached Alania's ears only dimly, so focused was she on Malficent and Teleris. Malficent seemed to grow larger with his anger, and his hand reached for Teleris grabbing him by his neck. Before Malficent could even speak, Gandalf appeared atop the city's gates. Malficent threw Teleris aside at Gandalf's appearance so roughly that the elf did not get up.
Focusing on Gandalf, Malficent seemed to fly to the gates. As he reached the city, Gandalf said "If they cannot be kept from you, then they cannot be kept". With that, he recited a spell and the manuscripts exploded in flames. This Gandalf threw at Malficent's feet.
Malficent had been unprepared to see Gandalf so willingly destroy that which he had worked so hard to protect. Malficent's utter outrage at having had his plans spoiled and the manuscripts lost could be visibly seen to consume his very being. The air around him crackled and he began to chant spells to break the walls and open the gates for his army.
Alania saw her shot at the same time as Roxy found her own. Both were targeting Malficent and both fired successfully at him. Roxy hit his neck. Alania his chest. A normal being would have been killed by the blows, but the pain of the wounds only seemed to incite Malficent to further fury.
The gates of the city flew open as a horde of orcs reached the city walls. They came through the gates and attempted to climb over the walls. Still Alania only barely noticed it. She cocked the shotgun again and aimed to take out Malficent's head.
Just as she marked him in the cross hairs, he turned and seemed to spot her. For a fraction of a second Alania froze with terror, but when Malficent grinned something in her snapped. She grit her teeth in anger and squeezed the trigger. For the rest of her life she would feel shame that in that instant she gloried in the killing of another being. In that way, Malficent's malevolence secured a victory even in his death.
The thrill Alania felt was brief as she came to her senses. All around her orc, goblin, man and elf battled. She risked a glance towards where Teleris fell and watched as Georn, shaped as orc, dragged Teleris out of the battle field. Hoping that he would live, Alania threw on her open pack and grabbed her sword. Turning to find Legolas, she watched him skewer one orc after another. As awful as his actions were, he was spectacular to behold. The elf was elegant, graceful, wicked, regal and very, very deadly. For the first time Alania finally understood what he was. Legolas was an assassin. She almost felt sorry for his enemies. Almost.
As the sounds and sight of the battle waged nearer to her, all rational thought escaped her as she began to work on instinct. She ran the course of the wall, stopping at every ladder against the city to toss a grenade. The guards were astonished and thrilled at the fire power she managed. She ran out of grenades soon enough, and by the sounds of it so had Roxy. Alania pulled out one of the guns and started taking shots at nearby orcs. She carefully aimed for the ones who would attack unsuspecting guards.
She loaded and reloaded until her entire pack was empty. She had luckily not needed to get close enough to anything yet to use the sword, but now with her guns useless and grenades gone she had no choice. She cast her pack aside giving her more freedom of movement.
Out of the corner of her eye she spied several orcs attacking a younger guard and rushed to help him. Time seemed to slow as Alania's actions became automatic. It was as if she was watching a movie playing on slow of herself and had no control over her movements. She had mentally distanced herself from the fighting and bloodshed to protect her psyche. She thoughtlessly moved from one fray to another and soon her mind had all but shut down with how many beasts she sliced down.
For her part, Roxy had taken the first shot at Malficent and was reloading when she spied Georn shifting into orc form. Knowing that Alania's sole focus would be Malficent, she turned her attention to tracking and defending Georn as he headed out to pull Teleris into the relative safety of the keep.
Roxy heard Alania's second shot and turned to see Malficent sprawled on the ground, missing half his head. So much was happening because of his evil desires that his demise seemed anti-climactic. His death felt too quick and hollow and sour. Roxy had believed that if he perished everything would be alright, but it was just the opposite. His minions still attacked and though their efforts were significantly less organized now that their leader was dead, they were still a force to be reckoned with.
Assuring herself that Georn was back in the walls of the keep with Teleris, Roxy turned her attention to the orcs in her vicinity. Like Alania, she tossed her grenades and shot her rounds until they were gone. Pulling her sword and a dagger out, Roxy felt a small nasty smile creep up her face and she gave a battle cry she never she was capable of as she rushed in headlong into hand to hand battle.
Elladan and Elrohir had taken positions near Gandalf, and the three moved gracefully as a unit through the throngs of creatures. The elves were always a bit surprised by Gandalf's abilities as a fighter when they saw him in action. His physical appearance and nature never belied the fierceness and spryness of the wizard. Of these three, only Gandalf was prepared for the efficiency and speed of Malficent's demise. He had also been the only one who had had no doubts as to who was responsible for it during the battle. Only weeks later it would come to pass that Alania's name would be written as savior.
Legolas became so engrossed in the fight that he paid no heed to who was around him. Slaying one orc or goblin after another, he moved along the city's walls cutting down anything that stood in his way. It was because of thousands of years of training and wars that he had this ability to forget all but staying alive as he battled. As dawn neared and the enemy's army became weak he became aware of his surroundings and noticed that Alania was nowhere around him. Cursing himself silently, he began to trace back to find her.
Several hours passed with the orcs and goblins reeking as much havoc as possible on the city. Alania grew tired but managed to keep up a stunning fight as it became clear that the enemy would be defeated with the sunrise. She had managed to move a good distance away from Legolas without knowing it as she fought. She noticed this when a short pause in action around her gave her a moment to look around. Dawn would be breaking shortly and the battle would end. Breathing hard with fatigue, she took note how tired she was and that she had been bloodied somewhat by a few flesh wounds.
She caught sight of Aerdin nearby. He was faring as well as she, which is to say he was equally exhausted and injured. She made her way towards him, glad to see a friendly face. She gave him a small smile as she approached and was about to say something when she spotted an orc aiming his bow at Aerdin. Without hesitation, she cried out and lunged for him as the arrow was fired.
Alania managed to knock Aerdin down, and as she quickly got on her knees to make sure he hadn't been hit, she felt a sharp pain in her side. Looking down at herself she was astonished to see that the arrow had struck her just under her ribs. Completely in shock, she grabbed it and yanked it out before Aerdin could stop her. The flow of blood drenched her tunic and she felt her body weaken quickly.
Aerdin jumped up in a fury as the orc that had fired the arrow attacked and slew him with ease. Grabbing the arrow that Alania was starring at, he checked the tip and paled. With no concern for himself, Aerdin dropped his sword and picked Alania up to rush her back to his keep.
Just as the sun crept up over the horizon, a shout of victory rolled up from the city's gates. It rose in volume as day broke and Alania stirred in Aerdin's arms, smiled and whispered "I guess we won". With that said Alania went limp in Aerdin's arms and took in only shallow breaths.
The victory forgotten in Aerdin's mind, he doubled his pace and silently begged the Valar for her life. The orc's arrow had been poisoned.
********
A/N: Review kindly. Thank you.
A/N: This chapter has been edited and added to because of the most excellent comments and critiques I received after posting it the first time. I hope the changes satisfy y'all. Special thanks to KT for the double post. YOU ROCK!! =)
Chapter 31 - The Big Battle
As the sun slowly sank in the sky, a shadow grew on the horizon. Looking up at the sky, a black inkiness concealed the stars and soon the only lights visible were the ones made by torches. The dread was so thick one could feel it in the air around one's body. So silent and foreboding was the mood, even the wind itself feared to move.
Some distance away from the keep, there was a visible parting, like a wave, in the mass of orcs and goblins. As a path was made, a tall cloaked figure strode at its leisure towards the fields before the keep.
Alania was mesmerized by the pure magnetism and confidence the cloaked figure possessed. Clearly it was Malficent and she was unable to remove her gaze from him. As he came closer, she noted his stature and the way he carried himself. Imposing was the first word that came to her mind, followed quickly by alluring, and then terrifying. Now she understood what people meant when they spoke of how appealing and attractive evil could be. You could taste the power he exuded.
Trying to remain aloof, Alania's mind turned to the final council they had this morning, which included Teleris. With all of them somewhat rested, they had been much more open to listening to new thoughts and when she finished speaking they lapsed into a lengthy silence. In truth, not one of them could find fault with her machinations, though it required one person to volunteer for a task incredibly dangerous. This brave soul would most likely bare the brunt of Malficent's anger, but for Alania's ideas to work a messenger of sorts was essential.
Aerdin at first thought to ask his guards for a volunteer, but the thought of it did not sit well with the council. When Elladan volunteered a debate began regarding lineage and responsibilities for each person at the table, and soon Elladan, Elrohir, Legolas and Aerdin were eliminated from volunteering because of their rank. It was one thing to do battle, but this mission was too precarious for anyone who carried the responsibility for the well-being of an entire realm and its people. Georn and Gandalf were eliminated as they had other roles entirely. Roxy had been about to speak up when both Georn and Alania both said "no" at the same time vehemently. It was left to Alania and Teleris.
"He would never expect a woman." said Alania looking only at Teleris.
"No, Alania, he would not. But this is not your fight. I will go" answered Teleris.
"You could die. I would never forgive myself if you died doing something that was my idea."
Teleris smiled and said "You cannot hold yourself responsible for the outcomes of situations you did not set in motion. Sometimes the good of the many must outweigh the good of one."
"Now really do sound like Obi Wan" said Alania and returned his smile slightly. "I do not like that anyone has to do this, but if it is your choice Teleris then I will agree."
Legolas released a breath he had not known he had been holding. He had been prepared to fight every one of them and tie Alania down had they agreed to her playing messenger.
In truth, Alania was somewhat relieved herself, though she would never admit it to anyone. There was another important role that she and Roxy would fill. It was one of the reasons she had refused to allow Roxy to volunteer; she needed Roxy's aim. Now that she was no longer needed in that capacity, she could reveal the rest of her plan.
Though a magnificent argument broke out between Georn and Legolas with Alania and Roxy, the women would not budge from their position. Noting the situation, Gandalf pulled the two aside and said "Do not be so foolish as to think they cannot take care of themselves. Were you two not the ones who spoke of the bravery and ability during the assault on Alania's home? Now is not the time to suspect their capabilities, especially as you trained them yourselves. I am sure they are well aware of the risks involved as they helped all the wounded and watched as men died. If you must, then be at their sides when battle begins, but now is not the time for dissention within our own group."
This placated Legolas and Georn but a bit, and it was agreed that the women would be at their sides at the city's walls.
A short while before the sun would set, Alania locked Roxy in her rooms and did one last inventory check. They split their ammo, guns and grenades. Now both women had two firearms at their hips, their short swords at their waists, daggers hidden at their backs, one sawed-off shotgun with scope each and a pack filled with bullets and grenades.
"You know, if I didn't know any better, I'd say we looked ready for a Schwarzenegger film" said Roxy with a smile.
Alania broke out into fits of laughter. It hadn't occurred to her how ridiculous their get-up would have been at home. "Yes, well you know what the Boy Scouts say. Be Prepared" she replied with a grin. It had been a much needed light moment.
Now Alania was crouched behind a wall and watched as the source of all their problems came amidst them. Taking a shaky, steadying breath, she felt Legolas's hand give her shoulder a small squeeze as silent encouragement and comfort. When Malficent stopped in the middle of the field, Legolas removed his hand and made ready his bow.
The doors to the city opened and Teleris strode out to meet Malficent. Alania watched as Teleris made his way cautiously out. Her fear for him increased with his every step and now her eyes turned to Malficent. He cut a striking figure standing out there alone. His cloak moved as though a strong wind was blowing, even though none could be felt. Her eyes traveled from his feet up to his eyes.
She was astonished to see that he was not looking at Teleris, but at the city's walls where hundreds of men stood ready. A sinister and confident smile crept up Malficent's face as his eyes traveled from one end of the wall to the other. When his eyes passed over her area she believed he could see right to her soul and a shiver of fear traveled along her spine. Even as her fear shook her, she knew that Malficent's demise would rest in his overconfidence and belief that they would simply surrender the manuscripts to save lives.
When she was certain Malficent no longer gazed at the city walls, she raised the shotgun, adjusted the scope and sat there with Malficent in the crosshairs. She knew that Roxy was doing the very same thing at this moment. One hand keeping the rifle steady, her eyes never leaving her target, she quickly used her other hand to open her pack for availability and then brought it back to the shotgun. She would not move from this position, no matter what went on around her, until her shot was fired.
Now Teleris approached Malficent with a package. Alania began to unconsciously murmur a prayer asking for the safety of her loved ones and to keep her hands steady. She repeated the same thing over and over as a mantra. Legolas noticed and frowned in concern until he realized that it helped her concentrate. Later, he would smile at this new piece of knowledge about her, but at that moment he turned his attention back to Teleris.
Teleris kept his eyes averted from Malficent as he handed him the package he carried. When Malficent began to chuckle, Teleris seemed to shrink away from him. That sound made Alania think of psychotics after a gleeful rampage. She admired the strength of Teleris, for though he cringed he still kept his place. She wasn't sure she would have been able to refrain from running away.
As Malficent opened the cloth wrappings of the package, Teleris began to slowly inch away from him with his hand at his back ready to grab his daggers. Alania cocked the shotgun and her finger itched to pull the trigger.
For one brief instant all of Malficent was still as he realized what the package was. Even his cloak had stopped moving. His howl of outrage shook the ground. At the end of that howl the world exploded into battle.
The roar of the enemy army attacking reached Alania's ears only dimly, so focused was she on Malficent and Teleris. Malficent seemed to grow larger with his anger, and his hand reached for Teleris grabbing him by his neck. Before Malficent could even speak, Gandalf appeared atop the city's gates. Malficent threw Teleris aside at Gandalf's appearance so roughly that the elf did not get up.
Focusing on Gandalf, Malficent seemed to fly to the gates. As he reached the city, Gandalf said "If they cannot be kept from you, then they cannot be kept". With that, he recited a spell and the manuscripts exploded in flames. This Gandalf threw at Malficent's feet.
Malficent had been unprepared to see Gandalf so willingly destroy that which he had worked so hard to protect. Malficent's utter outrage at having had his plans spoiled and the manuscripts lost could be visibly seen to consume his very being. The air around him crackled and he began to chant spells to break the walls and open the gates for his army.
Alania saw her shot at the same time as Roxy found her own. Both were targeting Malficent and both fired successfully at him. Roxy hit his neck. Alania his chest. A normal being would have been killed by the blows, but the pain of the wounds only seemed to incite Malficent to further fury.
The gates of the city flew open as a horde of orcs reached the city walls. They came through the gates and attempted to climb over the walls. Still Alania only barely noticed it. She cocked the shotgun again and aimed to take out Malficent's head.
Just as she marked him in the cross hairs, he turned and seemed to spot her. For a fraction of a second Alania froze with terror, but when Malficent grinned something in her snapped. She grit her teeth in anger and squeezed the trigger. For the rest of her life she would feel shame that in that instant she gloried in the killing of another being. In that way, Malficent's malevolence secured a victory even in his death.
The thrill Alania felt was brief as she came to her senses. All around her orc, goblin, man and elf battled. She risked a glance towards where Teleris fell and watched as Georn, shaped as orc, dragged Teleris out of the battle field. Hoping that he would live, Alania threw on her open pack and grabbed her sword. Turning to find Legolas, she watched him skewer one orc after another. As awful as his actions were, he was spectacular to behold. The elf was elegant, graceful, wicked, regal and very, very deadly. For the first time Alania finally understood what he was. Legolas was an assassin. She almost felt sorry for his enemies. Almost.
As the sounds and sight of the battle waged nearer to her, all rational thought escaped her as she began to work on instinct. She ran the course of the wall, stopping at every ladder against the city to toss a grenade. The guards were astonished and thrilled at the fire power she managed. She ran out of grenades soon enough, and by the sounds of it so had Roxy. Alania pulled out one of the guns and started taking shots at nearby orcs. She carefully aimed for the ones who would attack unsuspecting guards.
She loaded and reloaded until her entire pack was empty. She had luckily not needed to get close enough to anything yet to use the sword, but now with her guns useless and grenades gone she had no choice. She cast her pack aside giving her more freedom of movement.
Out of the corner of her eye she spied several orcs attacking a younger guard and rushed to help him. Time seemed to slow as Alania's actions became automatic. It was as if she was watching a movie playing on slow of herself and had no control over her movements. She had mentally distanced herself from the fighting and bloodshed to protect her psyche. She thoughtlessly moved from one fray to another and soon her mind had all but shut down with how many beasts she sliced down.
For her part, Roxy had taken the first shot at Malficent and was reloading when she spied Georn shifting into orc form. Knowing that Alania's sole focus would be Malficent, she turned her attention to tracking and defending Georn as he headed out to pull Teleris into the relative safety of the keep.
Roxy heard Alania's second shot and turned to see Malficent sprawled on the ground, missing half his head. So much was happening because of his evil desires that his demise seemed anti-climactic. His death felt too quick and hollow and sour. Roxy had believed that if he perished everything would be alright, but it was just the opposite. His minions still attacked and though their efforts were significantly less organized now that their leader was dead, they were still a force to be reckoned with.
Assuring herself that Georn was back in the walls of the keep with Teleris, Roxy turned her attention to the orcs in her vicinity. Like Alania, she tossed her grenades and shot her rounds until they were gone. Pulling her sword and a dagger out, Roxy felt a small nasty smile creep up her face and she gave a battle cry she never she was capable of as she rushed in headlong into hand to hand battle.
Elladan and Elrohir had taken positions near Gandalf, and the three moved gracefully as a unit through the throngs of creatures. The elves were always a bit surprised by Gandalf's abilities as a fighter when they saw him in action. His physical appearance and nature never belied the fierceness and spryness of the wizard. Of these three, only Gandalf was prepared for the efficiency and speed of Malficent's demise. He had also been the only one who had had no doubts as to who was responsible for it during the battle. Only weeks later it would come to pass that Alania's name would be written as savior.
Legolas became so engrossed in the fight that he paid no heed to who was around him. Slaying one orc or goblin after another, he moved along the city's walls cutting down anything that stood in his way. It was because of thousands of years of training and wars that he had this ability to forget all but staying alive as he battled. As dawn neared and the enemy's army became weak he became aware of his surroundings and noticed that Alania was nowhere around him. Cursing himself silently, he began to trace back to find her.
Several hours passed with the orcs and goblins reeking as much havoc as possible on the city. Alania grew tired but managed to keep up a stunning fight as it became clear that the enemy would be defeated with the sunrise. She had managed to move a good distance away from Legolas without knowing it as she fought. She noticed this when a short pause in action around her gave her a moment to look around. Dawn would be breaking shortly and the battle would end. Breathing hard with fatigue, she took note how tired she was and that she had been bloodied somewhat by a few flesh wounds.
She caught sight of Aerdin nearby. He was faring as well as she, which is to say he was equally exhausted and injured. She made her way towards him, glad to see a friendly face. She gave him a small smile as she approached and was about to say something when she spotted an orc aiming his bow at Aerdin. Without hesitation, she cried out and lunged for him as the arrow was fired.
Alania managed to knock Aerdin down, and as she quickly got on her knees to make sure he hadn't been hit, she felt a sharp pain in her side. Looking down at herself she was astonished to see that the arrow had struck her just under her ribs. Completely in shock, she grabbed it and yanked it out before Aerdin could stop her. The flow of blood drenched her tunic and she felt her body weaken quickly.
Aerdin jumped up in a fury as the orc that had fired the arrow attacked and slew him with ease. Grabbing the arrow that Alania was starring at, he checked the tip and paled. With no concern for himself, Aerdin dropped his sword and picked Alania up to rush her back to his keep.
Just as the sun crept up over the horizon, a shout of victory rolled up from the city's gates. It rose in volume as day broke and Alania stirred in Aerdin's arms, smiled and whispered "I guess we won". With that said Alania went limp in Aerdin's arms and took in only shallow breaths.
The victory forgotten in Aerdin's mind, he doubled his pace and silently begged the Valar for her life. The orc's arrow had been poisoned.
********
A/N: Review kindly. Thank you.